With the past 18 months or so being a struggle for many due to COVID-19 affecting all of our social lives, holidays and our daily lives it is of no surprise that our happiness has been tested.
With International Happiness week being from Tuesday 21st September to Sunday 26th September it is a good time to reflect on our own happiness, and look at how we can help ourselves.
When we look at happiness and what makes each of us happy, it can actually be a very difficult topic to define more generally. The reason being is that we are all different, so what makes one person happy may not make another person happy. So when reading this article try to consider what makes you happy and why you feel certain things make you happier than others.
A good starting point is to write down five examples of things that currently make you happy and then five things you wish you had that you think would make you happy. The key word is ‘think’, consider what the reasons are for them making you happy and consider any bad points. Say for example you wish you were famous and rich. What are the good points about that and what are the negative points? This is a good way to assess what makes you happy and why. It may also help to think about what makes you happy in a more reflective way.
When looking at what makes you happy also consider whether they are short, medium or long term reasons. For example if you ate a really nice meal this might make you happy for maybe an hour or two. If you bought a new car then this may make you happy for three or four months. Keeping a healthy lifestyle may make you feel happy quite often over a longer period.
When thinking about this it is also important to consider the opposite effect, if you bought a nice new car then you may be happy for three or four months, but if you purchased the car on finance you may end up feeling unhappy for a few years whilst you pay the finance off. So is it worth buying the car for three or four months’ worth of happiness if you are going to spend the next few years unhappy? It may be worth considering alternatives – is a new car really needed? Or, could you buy a cheaper car avoiding finance? We are all different, think about what makes you happy and why. Also think about any reasons that doing something to make you happy in the short term may have consequences that could make you unhappy in the long term.
How happiness in 2021 may look different than before?
The COVID-19 pandemic may have changed the way many people reflect on what makes them happy. Following the COVID-19 pandemic you may now be finding happiness in different ways than you did previously. For example:
- Spending more time with family
- Connecting with people in different ways such as through regular video calling for example
- You may try some new hobbies such as baking or meditation for example
- Getting active outdoors
- Staycations
- Trying new recipes
- Reading books
- Helping others where you can
- Volunteering
- Online classes such as dance lessons or gym workouts
- Learning new things such as a new language or to play a musical instrument
- Spending more time at home and trying your hand at some DIY
- Growing vegetables or flowers in your garden
How can Care first help?
If you feel you may need some emotional or practical support, you can contact Care first on the Freephone number. Care first is a leading provider of confidential, professional counselling, information and advice services. Whilst our BACP accredited counsellors are available 24/7 to provide support with emotional issues, our expertly trained Information Specialists are available 8am-8pm Monday-Friday to provide advice on any practical issues that may be causing you a stress or worry and help you feel more in control of a situation.
All employees are eligible to use Care first, our services include; telephone counselling, information services and online support. Call Care first on the Freephone number provided by your organisation and you can speak to a professional in confidence.
More information
If you would like to view the Webinar on ‘Happy Friday in line with International happiness week’ is being delivered live on Friday 24th September at 12:00pm-12:30pm, please use the following link to register for this session –
https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/6476683556581841934
If you are unable to join the webinar live, a recording of the session can be accessed using the same link above after the webinar has taken place.
If you feel you may need some support, you can contact Care first. Care first is a leading provider of confidential, professional counselling, information and advice services. All employees are eligible to use Care first, our services include; telephone counselling, information services and online support. Call Care first on the Freephone number provided by your organisation and you can speak to a professional in confidence.
Please be aware that Care first is an external provider and the information in their webinars may not fully align with advice from the University on some subjects